1. Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to a device for protecting the ligaments in a knee joint. Specifically, a knee brace and boot are attachable and detachable via a flexible tether member having a first coupling element coupled to a knee brace and a second coupling element coupled to a boot. The flexible tether member is adjustable in length to dispose the flexible tether member in tension at least within a portion of the range of rotation of a user's foot relative to the user's knee joint causing hyperextension of a knee ligament.
2. Description
The knee joint is one of the body's most delicate joints making it prone to injury. The femur, tibia, and fibula are the bones within the leg that comprise the knee joint. The bones are stabilized by four ligaments. Two collateral ligaments are located on the outside of the knee and control the lateral motion of the knee. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) control rotation of the knee as well as the forwards and backwards motion of the knee.
Injury to the knee joint can occur when at least one of the above-mentioned ligaments tears, either partially or completely. Such an injury may occur during contact or pivoting activities. For that reason, sports related activities are one of the leading causes of injury to the knee. In order to reduce one's risk of sustaining such an injury, athletes wear knee braces. Knee braces provide support to the knee joint and mitigate the stress applied to the ligaments resulting from direct contact.
One group of athletes most susceptible to knee injuries is motocross riders. Motocross is a very physically demanding sport. Motocross riders ride their bikes at high speeds over and around obstacles through winding courses. During a race, the rider is subjected to bumps from the other riders as well as hard landings, which may toss the rider off his bike. Rough landings and accidents may place a lot of stress on a motocross rider's knee ligaments. Therefore, most riders wear knee braces to protect their knees from injury.
Although motocross riders are likely to injure their ligaments due to forces directly applied to the knee joint, the riders are also prone to ligament tears due to pivoting activity, which a knee brace alone may not prevent. For instance, when a rider's foot rotates or pivots independently from the rider's knee joint, a strain is applied to the knee ligaments. If the rotation of the foot is severe, the knee ligaments will hyperextend or tear. Such activity is likely to occur in motocross when a rider makes a turn. As the rider maneuvers his bike through a turn, the rider leans into the turn. Consequently, the rider's inside foot is lowered toward the dirt. On some occasions, the rider's toe catches the dirt causing the rider's foot to rotate independently from the knee joint, imparting a strain on the rider's knee ligaments, specifically the ACL.
A knee brace will not prevent a strain from being applied to the ligaments when the foot rotates independently from the knee joint. A knee brace can prevent lateral motion, as well as forward and backward motion of the knee joint, however, it is not designed to protect the ligaments from rotation. In view of these drawbacks, it is apparent that there is a need in the art for a device for protecting the ligaments in a knee joint from rotation-type injuries.